Crustless Pizza

by KetoFocus.com

A one pot meal filled with your favorite pizza toppings but no crust

4.9 Stars (9 Reviews) 12 Comments

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CarnivoreCasseroleEasyEgg FreeNut FreeOne PotPizza

The best part of a pizza is always the toppings with the melted cheese layered into slices of pepperoni, black olives and mushrooms. This pizza is all toppings and cheese without the crust.

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Nutrition Facts
Serving Size:
1/4 of the pizza

4

Servings

518

Calories

40.1g

Fat

35.6g

Protein

2.8g

Net Carb

3.3g

Total Carbs

Crustless pizza is a great option when you can’t have the crust, but if you do enjoy a crunchy crust for your Italian pie, then try this pizza dough or even make a pizza casserole, where the crust is on top.

a thick slice of crustless skillet pizza on a white plate topped with parsley and red pepper flakes

This cheesy, meat-lovers, easy crustless pizza is a one pot meal that you can make in under 15 minutes. Ground sausage is cooked in a skillet can becomes the base “meat crust” for our pizza. Topping and cheese are added. The shredded cheese melted down into the toppings and cooked sausage form a glue to hold the pizza together. You can still lift it out once your pizza pie is cooled or you can enjoy it with a fork.

Crustless pizza is the perfect recipe for someone who is avoiding crust, whether you are gluten-free, trying to limit your carbs, or just want to savor the saucy Italian flavors without having to spend time making a whole pizza.

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How to make crustless pizza

  1. Cook ground Italian sausage or ground pork in a cast iron skillet.
  2. Stir in seasoning and marinara or pizza sauce.
  3. Add any vegetables like green pepper, onions, mushrooms that need to be cook. Cook until softened.
  4. Remove from heat and add the rest of your favorite pizza toppings.
  5. Top with shredded cheese. Spread an even layer over the top.
  6. Broil on high for 2-3 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.

ingredients for crustless pizza pictured and labeled as italian sausage, italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, marinara, bell pepper, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese

Key ingredients

  • Ground sausage or pork – Use Italian sausage or ground pork in this recipe. Ground beef or ground turkey can also be used just make sure you add in the Italian seasonings and pizza sauce to add more flavor.
  • Seasonings & marinara sauce – It’s not pizza without pizza sauce. Add a little bit of your favorite marinara sauce to give the crumbled sausage that tomato sauce flavor. Although you can omit these if you are trying to get carbs down as low as possible.
  • Pizza toppings – Pile on your favorite pizza toppings. Pepperoni, salami, fresh basil, bell pepper, onion, mushroom, black olive, sliced tomato, even cauliflower.
  • Shredded cheese – Shredded cheeses like mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese, mild cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese can be used. You could even mix in some cream cheese for creamy pizza.

Crustless Pizza Recipe Video

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Crustless Pizza Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground sausage or pork
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, optional
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons pizza or marinara sauce, optional
  • 2 oz green bell pepper, optional
  • 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 4 oz cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 14 slices pepperoni

Crustless Pizza Directions

  • STEP
    1

    Cook sausage

    In a cast-iron or oven proof skillet, brown and crumble the ground sausage or pork until cooked through. (About 5-6 minutes)

    Ingredients

    • Italian sausage or ground pork

    ground sausage cooked in a black cast iron skillet
    Quick Tip
    Can use ground beef, chicken or turkey instead.
  • STEP
    2

    Add seasoning and sauce

    Once the ground sausage is cooked through, stir in Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt and marinara sauce.

    Ingredients

    • Italian seasonings
    • Garlic powder
    • Salt
    • Marinara sauce

    stirring cooked sausage with a white spatula
    Quick Tip
    For zero carb pizza option, omit Italian seasoning, garlic powder and marinara sauce.
  • STEP
    3

    Cook vegetables

    Push the ground sausage off to the sides of the skillet and add bell pepper or any vegetable that needs to be cooked into the center. Cook until softened, then stir into the rest of the ground meat. Remove from heat.

    Ingredients

    • Bell pepper

    green bell pepper cooked in with browned sausage in a skillet on a burner
    Quick Tip
    Any vegetables that need to be cooked like onions, mushrooms, bell pepper, cauliflower, should be added here in order to get cooked before going under the broiler. Omit all vegetables for zero carb pizza.
  • STEP
    4

    Add remaining toppings and cheese

    Sprinkle most of the shredded cheese blend on top of the ground sausage layer evening. Top with pepperoni slices or other toppings. Then sprinkle remaining cheese layer on top.

    Ingredients

    • Mozzarella cheese (shredded)
    • Cheddar cheese (shredded)
    • Pepperoni

    a cast iron skillet with uncooked pizza in it pepperoni topped with shredded cheese
  • STEP
    5

    Broil

    Place skillet in the oven under the broiler on high for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

    a cooked pepperoni pizza sits in a black pan
    Quick Tip
    Option to cook this keto crustless pizza in the air fryer. Bake in the air fryer at 400 degrees for about 5 minutes.
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a small castiron skillet with a greasy, melted cheese and pepperoni pizza in it

Zero carb pizza

If you are looking for an all-meat carnivore pizza, you can make this pizza recipe without adding any of the following. Each slice (1/4 of the pizza) can be as low at 0.5 g carbs.

  • Italian seasoning
  • Garlic powder
  • Marinara sauce
  • Bell pepper

Some other ways to get very low carb pizza are to:

  • Use ground pork instead of Italian sausage. Italian sausage can have added sugars and seasonings in it that will increase the amount of carbs. Ground pork is just 100% pork.
  • Use a zero carb cheese. Look for cheese that is zero carbs. Certain cheddar cheeses and Galbani mozzarella cheese can be zero carbs if you buy the block of cheese and shred the cheese yourself.
a slice of crustless pizza on a white dinner plate with a castiron skillet casserole sits in the background

Tips for the best pizza

  • Cook and brown the sausage until it gets crumbled into tiny pieces and those pieces almost form a crust on the bottom. This will give so much flavor to your pizza.
  • Any vegetables or toppings that should be cooked, can be added to the skillet after the ground pork is cooked. This way they will have enough time to soften and cook.

Storage information

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. Reheat under the broiler on high to melt the cheese.

This crustless pizza recipe can be made ahead of time. Cook the ground sausage and vegetables first. The add toppings and cheese. Place in the refrigerator, covered for 4-5 days.

To freeze, add to a freezer safe casserole dish, cover and freeze for 2-3 months. To heat, cook from frozen, covered with foil in the oven at 400 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Crustless Pizza: FAQS

What is crustless pizza?

Simply put, a pizza made without the crust. Instead of pizza crust ground pork or sausage is cooked and layered on the bottom of a skillet. This serves the base of our pizza while your favorite toppings are added on and shredded mozzarella cheese is melted into the toppings and sausage base. It's pizza that can be eaten with a fork or once cooled, you can pick it up like one with pizza crust.

Where can I buy crustless pizza?

Some pizza chains are now making a crustless pizza. Domino's, Macro's Pizza and Papa Murphy's are some popular ones that make a pizza bowl. Just ask you local pizza restaurant if they can cook your pizza toppings in a pan without the crust.

Is crustless pizza keto friendly?

Yes, this pizza can be as low at 0.5 g carbs so it is a low carb recipe. If you are making keto crustless pizza, make sure all of your toppings are low carb.

Nutritional information & Macros

Nutrition Information

Crustless Pizza

Servings: 4

Amount Per Serving
Calories 518
Fat 40.1g
Protein 35.6g
Total Carbs 3.3g
Net Carbs 2.8g

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12 Comments

  1. The combination of mozzarella and cheddar gave the perfect gooey and sharp flavor blend that made each bite so satisfying. I liked adding the Italian seasoning and garlic powder as it really brought out that classic pizza aroma while cooking. Broiling the skillet for just a few minutes bubbled the cheese beautifully without overcooking the pepperoni. The green bell pepper softened just right after cooking in the center of the meat. Definitely a great low carb fix for pizza cravings.

    Reply

  2. This was such a satisfying dinner option and I couldn’t believe how filling it was without a crust. The cheese melted perfectly under the broiler and gave it that classic pizza finish I was hoping for. I really appreciated how convenient it was to make all in one pan!

    Reply

  3. I really liked how the cheese browned up nicely under the broiler – just 3 minutes and it was bubbly with crisp edges that gave it a great texture. Using both mozzarella and cheddar created a gooey core with just enough sharpness from the cheddar. I went ahead and used the optional Italian seasoning and garlic powder, and they brought a nice depth to the sausage layer. One tip: letting the bell peppers soften before mixing them in really helped balance the savory meat with a bit of sweetness. Super easy cleanup since everything cooked in one skillet.

    Reply

  4. I made this crustless pizza last night and it was super satisfying. I added a few extra mushrooms and it worked great in my 10 inch cast iron skillet. Easy and perfect for staying on my low carb plan.

    Reply

  5. This turned out really well for a quick weeknight dinner. I added mushrooms instead of bell peppers and it worked great. Used a 10-inch skillet and it held everything nicely.

    Reply

  6. Why DON’T the pictures LOAD from your website.
    I Can’t get any of your pictures from any recipes to load
    WHY ?

    Thanks

    Reply

  7. i started making this awhile back and now i make it once a week now on the night we want pizza, its easy and i don’t even miss the crust on pizza.

    Reply

  8. This is a wonderful dish.♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ I have made this dish twice. my family loved it.♥️♥️

    Reply

  9. We did this recipe and absolutely loved it. We did ground beef as we didn’t have any ground sausage or pork. Made our own marina sauce using our own herbs. This was so delicious I can see it being a weekly menu item. Thank you so much.

    Reply

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